An international Irish metal band feature as today’s Band of the Day…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
The band is based in Dublin, Ireland, but we are from all over! Ian and Dave are Irish, Rodrigo is Spanish, Hugo is Brazilian and Spanish and an idiot, and Franco is from Italy.
How did you meet?
The first meeting was when Ian and Cormac (ex lead guitarist) decided to start a new band, and placed an ad online for a drummer. Rodrigo was the first to reply, and it was an instant fit both personality wise and musically. After that, Dave came in to audition as our singer and joined soon after. Hugo was a friend of ours from very early on, we met him at one of our very first gigs when he was also on the bill with his old band, Morality. We remained friends and a couple of years down the line when we needed a new bassist, there was only one guy we wanted! Franco was recommended to us when Ivan (another ex lead guitarist!) left the band to go home to Italy, and when he came in to try out, it was another instant fit, and now here we are!
How long have you been playing as a band?
Since early 2014.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
We wanted a name to represent the fact that all of us have different musical influences, and all these influences come together to form our sound. So, Element X was born from that idea, this sound, this “element” that appears when we mix all our influences.
What are your influences?
We have so so many influences, but the three bands we would say that have had the most influence on us from playing styles or songwriting styles would be Metallica, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
The mixture of all the different influences of each of us gives the music a unique edge we think. Describing our music is trickier! We try to inject energy and attitude to our songs, hard hitting but catchy riffs and vocal melodies, songs you won’t forget!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Some songs have a common theme, Heart of Fire for example is about not being afraid to be YOU. To hell with anyone who tells you otherwise, believe in you and be who you want to be. That’s a message we believe in and it does pop up in some of our songs. Having said that, each song is its own thing and we have written songs about everything from the future we face if climate change is not addressed, to a horror book Ian read as a kid! So we have a lot of themes we write about.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We are coming close to 100 live shows now. We try to make sure every live show we play is full of energy and kick ass songs, we put 110% into every moment on stage so if you come to an Element X show, we won’t let you down.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Once, after a gig, a girl came to one of the guys in the band and after mentioning that she really enjoyed the show, asked him to make love to her in front of her boyfriend.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Rodrigo : The drum set up is one rack tom, two floor toms, single kick. Meinl cymbals, and the snare is a Ludwig Supraphonic.
Ian : ESP LTD James Hetfield signature Iron Cross, ESP LTD EC-401 , Electro Harmonix Metal Muff pedal, Line 6 G10 wireless system, Blackstar amplifier.
Franco : Jackson and Ibanez guitars, Line 6 Helix pedal board, Kemper
Hugo : Epiphone Tobias Bass, Zoom multi effect pedal
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We just released our second EP , All or Nothing, which is now available in various shops in Dublin and on most streaming platforms. We also released our first video for one of the songs on the EP, Heart of Fire, which can be found on our Youtube channel.
What are your plans for 2019?
Well 2019, is coming to a close but we are busy setting things up for 2020. We are aiming to play some shows around the UK and further into Europe, hitting some festivals, getting out there as much as possible. But 2019 isn’t over just yet, we may have a surprise release on the way, stay tuned.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
If we’re dreaming big, Volbeat, followed by us, then Metallica!
Element X: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube | spotify